Guru Nanak Jayanti: Celebrating Birth-Anniversary of A Great Reformer

On the auspicious day of Guru Nanak Dev Jayanti 2013, the preachings and teachings of Guru Nanak Dev Ji require sincere listening. A Guru is always recognized for his preachings and teachings. A spiritual opportunity would be skipped if Guru's sayings are not deeply understood and just chanted ritualistically.

Celebrating The Birth-Anniversary Of A Great Spiritual Figure

India observes 'Gurpurab' or 'Guru Nanak Dev Jayanti 2013' on 17th of November. It is a day, which honors Guru Nanak Dev Ji, as he was born on this day. He was the first of the 10 Sikh Gurus. All the Sikhs around the world visit Gurdwaras to show gratitude toward the Almighty. The most impressive celebrations are witnessed at Golden Temple, Amritsar, Punjab. This Gurdwara (temple) is considered to be the most sacred place for Sikhs. Among the anniversaries of 10 great Sikh Gurus (Prakash Divas), the most important are the ceremonies held for the founder of this religion, Guru Nanak Dev Ji.

The life of a Guru is a boon to the believer and turns out as a message in itself.

As the 'Baani' or 'Word' of a spiritual figure turns out as a sacred guide for the devotees, so did the sayings of 'Guru Nanak Dev Ji'. He was considered as the premier Guru of Sikh Panth, got immortalized in the holy scripture of Sikhism, recognized as 'Shri Guru Granth Sahib'.

Teachings By The Premier Sikh Guru

The origin of Sikh religion lies in the social and religious teachings of 'Guru Nanak Dev Ji'. He preached that God was all-pervading and did not stick to any sort of ritualism or patterns for worshiping. He was a true idol of faith. Guru Nanak Dev Ji was a perfect human figure, as he aroused the nation from an inactive and absentminded condition to the consciousness of God. He was the supreme teacher of the world, as he brought forward the real knowledge and did justice with his principles.

3 Main Teachings Of The Guru

Listed below are the three main teachings of Guru Nanak Dev Ji:

Naam Japo: It is related to the eternal devotion toward the Almighty. The great Guru always believed in warbling the Holy Name, and therefore remembering God all the time.

Vund Chako: He always believed in sharing and caring for others, particularly with the ones who are in need.

Kirat Karo: He always believed in earning an honest living by making sure that no deed leads to exploitation or cheating.

The Foundation Of His Teachings

The root of his teachings was simply ‘the equality of humans’ without the distinction of caste and creed. He preached against the bias and injustice that took place because of caste, status and things related to it. The Guru not just preached these concepts, but also adopted practical measures to achieve the same. He targeted the reasons and people causing violence in the society. This great reformer strongly objected to the brutal activities took place in the society.

Guru Nanak Dev Ji always believed in ‘the equality of men and women’. He had great respect for females; and uplifted the position of women by the way of spreading a message, which is mentioned below.

"From woman, man is born; within woman, man is conceived; to woman he is engaged and married. Woman becomes his friend; through woman, the future generations come. When his woman dies, he seeks another woman; to woman he is bound. So, why call her bad? From her, Kings are born. From woman, woman is born; without woman, there would be no one at all. O Nanak, only the True Lord is without a woman."

Guru Nanak Dev Ji was recognized for his teachings about worshiping one God. He always encouraged a healthy, peaceful and modest way of living. Equality of women and equality of all the human beings is what he taught his followers about.